LA cop charged with selling meth in San Diego County

San Diego  A Los Angeles police officer will be prosecuted in San Diego federal court on charges of selling 111.2 grams of methamphetamine at an Escondido mall, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Yoshio Romero, 28, of Corona, is accused of trying to sell the drugs for $4,200 on Dec. 21, 2009, prosecutors said. Romero instructed the buyer that his vehicle, a Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck, was parked near the Sears at the North County Fair and that he would be leaving the methamphetamine in a candy box on the front seat of his car, prosecutors said. The officer left the passenger side unlocked and instructed the buyer to pick up the drugs, leave the money in the center console and lock the door, prosecutors said.

The buyer was a confidential informant for the DEA.

Federal agents arrested Romero on Monday at his Riverside County home and he is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.

If convicted, he faces a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, prosecutors said.